tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64786478550164221562024-02-18T21:50:43.834-08:00Kitten Plays GamesThe Gamer's Alliance: We demand to be taken seriously!Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-90502966259485856182011-10-05T08:12:00.000-07:002011-10-05T08:22:29.040-07:00Drowning in a sea of games.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've never had so many games to play at the same time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It started with Dead Nation, which I finally got around to playing, it's an immediately addictive top down shooter with an excellent charge shot mechanic that encourages you to focus and line up zombies. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also from PSN I got Bloodrayne, which is pretty much a nice HD Castlevania game. There are a lot of enemies that are straight up Castlevania knockoffs. It's a great game with smart combat and great visuals, and if it were any other time, I would have probably finished it, but there is an avalanche of games coming.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is about the time I started playing my first facebook game, Kixeye's War Commander. I haven't played a proper strategy game since Warcraft 2, though I have been really into tower defense games. That being said, War commander was really easy to get into. I had to get used to the much slower pace of facebook games, but I like that it's kind of always on the back burner and I check in a few times a day to initiate more upgrades, or go on quick sorties.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a weekend I decided that the game was definitely awesome and I thought it was at least worth $10 so I bought $10 worth of instant upgrades. This way I get a progression boost and support a game that I enjoy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I got Dead Island which made me motion sick so I started taking dramamine for it. After 2 dramamine sessions I was able to play the game free and clear. It took much longer to get into but the melee is pretty excellent, especially for a FPS. I really like that it encourages you to pick up and discard weapons frequently, which adds to a more improvised feel to the combat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At one point, I was playing online co-op and a random kid dropped into my game and gave me a sweet electric Katana and tesla sledgehammer for free, it was very kind of him. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do hate the RPG tropes of people just standing in the same place talking about how dire the situation is. The worst is when I went on a supply fetch mission, I came back in my pickup expecting cheering crowds who excitedly unload the food off of my truck and carry me in celebration, instead I parked the truck, went inside to finish my mission, and the guy, Sinamoi, just stood there and wouldn't respond. Turned out I had to unload the truck and stash the goods myself. What a bunch of ingrates. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got to the point where they told me I was going to initiate the last mission, but by that time I was bored with DI and was getting into RE4 for the 3rd time in my life. It took a little getting used to the controls but it's held up remarkably well. Though the textures were left alone, they were good enough that they look pretty good rendered in HD, especially faces. The sound is noticably low-fi though. As with my previous playthroughs, I've been extremely frugal with my ammunition which leads to a completely packed suitcase within a few hours. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLV1lRefm_CKRDjfLGS0de3AjtAT6nYr7cnfXnqes5ltDl4pcfOYTko-MxgdxleAq2uyzbWlAoypunonyu_8_Mf9Y_RsDvutiZKqyTO-G51BGmsv1v59U1H04lNpvuyzVWn31-EMNoAlDm/s1600/RE4+case.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLV1lRefm_CKRDjfLGS0de3AjtAT6nYr7cnfXnqes5ltDl4pcfOYTko-MxgdxleAq2uyzbWlAoypunonyu_8_Mf9Y_RsDvutiZKqyTO-G51BGmsv1v59U1H04lNpvuyzVWn31-EMNoAlDm/s320/RE4+case.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'll notice some of my weapons are at zero rounds because I'm waiting for the salesman to give me ammo when I upgrade the capacity. This leads to relatively breezy boss encounters and a lot of backtracking to the dealer to sell more ammo. I also like to keep my case tidy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the first nerve-wracking playthrough I've been intermittently playing through again with infinite launcher. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I got the Battlefield 3 Beta which is pretty slick. Though BFBC2 was obviously more polished and fully featured, I am getting a lot of enjoyment out of the operation metro map. I'm also liking the much more robust customization options on my weapons. They keep you satisfied with much more frequent and plentiful unlocks, many specific to the weapons you use to unlock them. They also trickle much more points at you. I especially like scoring for teammates spawning on you. Obviously, if they're spawning on you, that means you're in a tactical position and you're staying alive so it's nice to be rewarded for that.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favorite tactic is planting myself with an M249 and a bipod and waiting for enemies to show up. I wait until they're running toward me to turn on my tac light, I don't want them to immediately know that I'm there, but once they do they're blinded.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tried finding the Uncharted MP codes at subway but they didn't have them, now that I have Dark Souls, it may be a while before I get UC3MP, I'll probably just wait until the game comes out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I'm sort of dreading Dark Souls, I know it will be an excellent epic quest of a game, but it's also going to be really hard. And I don't have much time before BF3 and UC3 come out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">........durpedur, checking War Commander.....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So yeah, this is the most packed few months of games I've ever had, and it's totally awesome. I just hope there's a lull during X-mas so I can catch up. I definitely want to get into a lot of BF3 MP and Uncharted 3. Not to mention I've got Arkham Asylum coming and MGSHD collection. Thank Jaffe that twisted Metal was pushed back or I might have an aneurism. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also hope to be importing a Vita in December. Woot!</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-88279306821835009882011-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:002011-09-07T11:20:08.767-07:00Captain America Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/dTV_tEh0XJ4/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dTV_tEh0XJ4&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dTV_tEh0XJ4&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
Captain America is<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a fun game with a shallow story and pretty expansive connected environment. The combat is pretty awesome and rewards attentiveness. It's a quick and relatively easy platinum.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-42081636665560272072011-07-20T07:49:00.000-07:002011-07-20T07:50:31.359-07:003-D scoping?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EN6_d4xFbTv0N3k_WgekDBUPQVb4rK6t2d57-K2T1uD-gfB9OEOOb1NsmpvOAK4f0015XT6lCfiM6Ay7jxUIA2ul-V6-mAVjzliXaAzfTWxIGVV3-VOPL7bc4QS6fNBBB0wbAOIfWsxN/s1600/sniper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EN6_d4xFbTv0N3k_WgekDBUPQVb4rK6t2d57-K2T1uD-gfB9OEOOb1NsmpvOAK4f0015XT6lCfiM6Ay7jxUIA2ul-V6-mAVjzliXaAzfTWxIGVV3-VOPL7bc4QS6fNBBB0wbAOIfWsxN/s320/sniper.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The collision of FPS and 3D TVs creates an odd reality concession: 3D scoping. In modern FPS we're used to being able to scope in. Originally with sniper rifles, but now many popular games like Battlefield and Call of Duty offer ACOG scopes and red dot sights as add ons to most primary weapons. This is all fine when we're watching in 2D, but people don't look through scopes with 2 eyes, thus we don't see through scopes in 3D. I understand that it's the easiest thing to do, to treat 3D the same as it has been in 2D, but it feels a little strange to have depth applied in a scope.<br />
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Most people don't have any problem with this, I don't really mind, but I think this is an interesting opportunity. Why not split scoped vision and normal view between the two eyes. This would be optional, but in the menu you can choose to make your right or left eye dominant. When you're scoped, the right eye will receive the scoped vision and left eye will continue to see a normal view, thus allowing you to snipe, but also keep an eye on your immediate surroundings. If you need to concentrate you can close your left eye as a normal sniper would. Think about it, it would be kind of awesome!!Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-53099389120923236402011-07-19T10:10:00.000-07:002011-07-19T10:13:30.897-07:00Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon Review<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a game that takes it's inspiration from low tech sci-fi monster movies of the 50's. Which is appropriate because EDF is a low budget game that offers similar shallow but heartfelt fun. This is the 5th game in the series, it's the first I've played but they seem to have a cult following.<br />
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In EDF, you take on the role of lightning squad and fight off an alien invasion... that's about all the plot you're going to get. Exposition comes in loading screens and voiceovers but it all has to do with the mission at hand. You can play as a soldier, a heavy, a jetpack, or a tactician (this means setting turrets). Each has different moving speed, weapons, and special abilities. And you can choose your color, yay! Each class of soldier levels up independently, unlocking new weapon options and upgrading health and abilities.<br />
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EDF is non-stop action. The gameplay consists of being given a succession of waypoints in an open city environment with tasks like holding positions, activating beacons, and almost always destroy all enemies. You are supported by two AI bots who have a plain machine gun, rocket launcher, and no special ability, but will revive you if they are alive and can navigate the terrain. With swarming enemies and specialized classes and weapons, the experience has more in common with tower defense games than Gears of War. Rather than finding cover (there is no cover mechanic), the focus is on getting a good vantage point and crowd control. At first this can be tedious, but as the enemies become more varied and you unlock smarter weapons, the combat becomes much more enjoyable. There are hundreds of weapons to choose from that cater to many different play styles. Larger boss and sub-boss enemies drop weapon crates that add to your arsenal.<br />
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The game controls very intuitively, though moving across large levels can feel sluggish at times. The Jetpack trooper can move much faster but otherwise the jetpack feels underpowered and quickly runs out of fuel.<br />
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The enemy AI is not a strong point, ants and spiders just swarm you, robots and other larger enemies will follow simple patterns, their attacks are very obvious and easy to avoid. This combined with infinite ammo and generous health leads to there not being a significant sense of threat. Even if you're completely surrounded, it just takes a few shots to clear space. There is an out of place active reload mechanic similar to Gears of War except with much less risk and reward. This is especially unnecessary in a game that lacks the physicality to make the act of reloading fun. It feels as if in order to make this function work, some of the weapons’ reload times were increased to far beyond what is warranted. This combined with the close quarters nature of the enemy makes melee attacks a peculiar omission.<br />
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In a way, EDF is similar to Warhawk in that it also has relatively simple graphics but is smooth, clean and stylish in a way that can be quite beautiful at times. The lightning squad has slick armor designs and moves really well. The enemies are cartoony like the films they reference, and it seems almost appropriate when spiders cling awkwardly on the corner of a building with legs resting on an invisible plane. And there are some seriously huge enemies, hundreds of feet tall in some cases.<br />
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There are only 3 chapters with 5 missions each. The levels are set in a large indistinct city and vary from a New England style coastal area, through industrial zones, to a downtown populated by tall skyscrapers. The guns and vehicles don't feel very powerful, but the large selection and colorful effects keep the combat interesting to look at. The sound design is good for the most part, weapon sounds are underwhelming but some of the creatures' shrill shrieks are special and take me back to my childhood watching Godzilla movies. The dialogue is cheesy but it can sometimes get pretty funny listening to the banter between "operations" and the hopelessly incompetent "intel".<br />
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You can choose to play through the campaign with online or local multiplayer. With other players, the difficulty increases, introducing more enemies. This is balanced by your teammates being better armed than the AI bots. The survival mode seems to be where most of the multiplayer action is. Up to six players join up to fight off increasingly difficult waves of enemies in a limited space with an occasional vehicle. As most of the buildings get leveled early on, this mode quickly becomes running around a relatively flat space, killing bugs and reviving teammates (you can only be revived a limited number of times). This is fun in short bursts and is also a great way to get some of the more daunting trophies (kill 25000 enemies).<br />
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EDF is frantic but lighthearted fun and the best parts of the game have to do with it’s presentation of scale, whether it's fighting of hordes of giant spiders and ants, or seeing a skyscraper topple and a monolithic robot step out from behind it. The gargantuan bosses are the most fun to fight and you get a great sense of accomplishment seeing a giant space ship burst into flame and crash.<br />
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It’s a little on the short side, the campaign will take you 4 to 6 hours, but the leveling, weapon unlocks, and survival modes will have you playing through the game multiple times. EDF is not only a throwback to 50’s monster flicks but 90’s arcade games where you and your friends can have a blast teaming up against endless hordes of aliens, insects and robots.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-47964569596541792312010-09-15T07:36:00.000-07:002010-09-15T08:01:29.750-07:00Too Long!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlnRH4aiJe7SVqnX6nu_QLbO_foiicCMVETwf0WO297bsy1IRAugx6rkuVvQAgPTRjTQQiMDFxUSon4aFCIs6ILiO899x0ZGZgBaZDYTmnpfRDrN7ww9yI4oAD7r6tYYw2EipwWM1zBfp/s1600/0913102008-01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlnRH4aiJe7SVqnX6nu_QLbO_foiicCMVETwf0WO297bsy1IRAugx6rkuVvQAgPTRjTQQiMDFxUSon4aFCIs6ILiO899x0ZGZgBaZDYTmnpfRDrN7ww9yI4oAD7r6tYYw2EipwWM1zBfp/s320/0913102008-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517155472726749586" /></a><br /><br />It's been too long since I posted, so I decided to take the pressure off by doing a non-video post. Also I've been playing BattleField Bad Company 2 for too long ! It's soooo good! I've been playing it since April and I can't get enough! It offers so much varietyin gameplay strategies that no two games are ever the same. I've long since unlocked all of the weapons and upgrades, but I'm now working at getting medals. The medals aren't just grind bait, it offers incentives to try out different gameplay styles. If it weren't for the medals, I would have never touched the bolt action sniper rifles, but now the M95 is one of my favorite weapons. If it weren't for Rush mode, I would have stayed away from the pump action shotguns, but they allow me to play as close combat recon or C-4 equipped assault. All of this leads me to be a much more versatile team player. Now when the chips are down and our team is being hammered, I think: What tactic will get around the enemies defenses? Where are they not paying attention and what class will allow me to exploit that?<div><div>I really can't understand why people would pass this up to play Modern Warfare 2.<br /><div>If you don't have Bad Company 2, now you can get the new version that packs in all of the expansion packs as well as Battlefield 1943.</div><div>I'm looking forward to the Vietnam DLC in winter.</div></div></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-25065041443917042102010-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:002010-08-22T11:04:48.884-07:00Cyclops talks Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions<div><object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y_W6OLHFdnA"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y_W6OLHFdnA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>I was really excited for Shattered Dimensions when I first saw the trailer, Of course they would have Amazing Spider-man, and Noir seemed like a really different take with a totally different aesthetic and play style.<div>Then they revealed the other two dimensions and they were disappointing. 2099 looks different, looks like Spider-man on Cybertron, but it looks like it plays the same for the most part, with added falling segments (ever since James Bond Everything or nothing, the falling segments have been getting popular). And Ultimate Spider-man... really? In video game form he's functionally identical to Amazing spider-man, so they gave him a black suit... which amazing spider-man had and wore for way longer than ultimate spider-man ever did.</div><div>I think they dropped the ball on the possibilities for making four totally different spider-mans with different play styles and experiences. I would like to see 1602 Spider-man, Zombie Spider-man or Araña.</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-63605419166212962612010-08-18T21:37:00.000-07:002010-08-18T21:40:43.315-07:00Infamous character redesign<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jh_ckzTcbvk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jh_ckzTcbvk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>Am I the only one who liked the new Cole in infamous 2? Apparently enough people hated it that suckerpunch redesigned him back closer to the original cole.</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-7592850768098876902010-08-16T21:20:00.000-07:002010-08-16T21:37:05.594-07:00AbiliteaseAbilitease (as defined on Gamespot: the Hotspot) is in a game when you start off super powerful and then pretty quickly, the story depowers you and then you have to build yourself back up. As seen in Castlevania: SOTN, Star Wars TFU, God of War 2 & 3. Also maybe Ridge Racer, where you start as a spaceship shooting lasers at an alien fleet, and quickly devolve into a car driving kind of fast.<div><br /></div><div><object style="height: 344px; width: 425px" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v_-pbCwRYZI"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v_-pbCwRYZI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-4809929414536538752010-08-16T21:04:00.000-07:002010-08-16T21:14:24.743-07:00Japanese crepes<div>This blog isn't entirely videogames, here's the first recipe I ever learned (3rd grade, srsly an 8 year old can make it).</div><object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bf5_qHloTkA"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bf5_qHloTkA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div>Ingredients:</div><div>Milk 1cup</div><div>Flour 1cup</div><div>Sugar 1tbs</div><div>Melted butter 1tbs</div><div>1 egg</div><div>oil or butter for pan</div><div><br /></div><div>Heat a large pan over medium heat. Spread butter or oil.</div><div>Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl.</div><div>Ladle about a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan at a time. Before the crepe hardens, roll the pan and let the batter thin out.</div><div>When the surface of the crepe dries, flip it and cook for about another 30 seconds. Done!</div><div><br /></div><div>For dessert crepes, roll fruit and whipped cream.</div><div>For breakfast crepes, try rolling sausage or ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and Japanese Mayonnaise.</div><div>Experiment with your favorite ingredients!</div><div><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-73403079468993163872010-08-16T20:26:00.000-07:002010-08-16T20:30:17.542-07:00Homogenous Protagonists<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y0mhKwL_yvc"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y0mhKwL_yvc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div>This is a video response to Leigh Alexander's Sexyvideogameland article "<a href="http://sexyvideogameland.blogspot.com/2010/08/privilege.html">Privilege</a>". </div><div>The videogame landscape has a pronounced lack of diversity. Street Fighter's over the top stereotype fighters don't cut it. Game heroes should be as diverse as the gamers who play them.</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-50208426134875824962010-08-16T12:21:00.000-07:002010-08-16T12:31:00.634-07:00acclimation and nostalgia<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eiaVUIPFeKo"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eiaVUIPFeKo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>Do you have fond memories of summers past? That time you went away to camp, a couple weeks at the lake, or your first semester at college in a new city? If you're a gamer you probably have a similar nostalgic memory of the summer you spent in Hyrule, Midgar, Azeroth, or Liberty City. What makes a game transcend playtime and become a time in your life?</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-61879569050732857562010-08-16T12:13:00.000-07:002010-08-16T20:25:34.356-07:00invisible walls<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BnJUdsVPzUw"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BnJUdsVPzUw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div>Why is it that some games you never even notice an invisible wall and others you feel like you're being corralled by space ranchers with force fields.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a link to the Gametrailers podcast of the same name:</div><div><a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/show/invisible-walls">invisible walls</a></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-76339307689243950472010-08-16T11:30:00.000-07:002010-08-16T11:52:31.028-07:00Red Dead Tangent<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JvLgJv73XzY"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JvLgJv73XzY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div>This is something I just came across in Red Dead Redemption. It's kind of like coming across the climactic scene of someone's life story without getting the rest of the story. It's really excellent.</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-84568302989684157652010-08-16T11:21:00.001-07:002010-08-16T11:27:32.302-07:00Earbreak<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PCDFvagkBNs"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PCDFvagkBNs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>I named my Youtube channel Kitten Earbreak. Watch the video to find out about earbreaks. I chose the name because I think of it as an earbreak from me to you. Unfortunately that means movement speed will slow and all upper body functions will cease as your finger is glued to your headset.</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-68505443404216805232010-08-16T10:57:00.000-07:002010-08-16T11:19:05.792-07:00Kitten has claws!Yay! I was going to start a new video game blog but it turns out that my old false start of a blog only had 3 video game related posts so... I'll just go with it!<div>I was eliminated from the final round of voting for Season 2 of The Tester. As such, I am no longer able to upload videos there so I reposted most of my non-contextual videos to youtube and will be continuing that and posting here. </div><div>I'm still hoping that I will be cast on the tester, all the voting only counts for 1 person getting on the show. The other contestants are cast from the contestant pool. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.</div><div> </div><div>I might as well get this out of the way:</div><div><object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yyuz4IB6Pbc"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yyuz4IB6Pbc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-22624207559189496072008-07-01T18:18:00.000-07:002008-07-01T18:43:19.562-07:00WORST. TREND. EVER.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I'm so tired of people putting periods between every capitalized word. Usually starting with "BEST." and ending with "EVER." It's so irritating and over-dramatic. "!!!!1!1?!!!!1!" just doesn't cut it anymore, they have to write out their dramatic pauses. Do you think that SP4RT4N_KILLER who is on the fence about the Saints Row 2 trailer is going to be so impressed by your ability to misuse punctuation that they'll Digg your comment and XBL friend you? I guess what really gnaws at me is that behind their statement is a smug feeling that their statement is so simple yet powerful that they have to use what they imagine is the internet equivalent of chiseling it in stone.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-59778954527709093682008-04-29T10:49:00.000-07:002008-12-12T20:05:35.343-08:00GTAIV Launch! YAO!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kJq-9Ny2Zn4dYR3EmN4ZB_XMyuV1X1lriXz0bhcDKiJqYL2cZtiFXXvLte2qnufa0TEoex2ZdPHVCufZA-IiHIdlgkClCiit9wWTxa59MpjnpmT2zNat1L0HMxu_cfSxx6DuOSBWm37f/s1600-h/DSC00014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kJq-9Ny2Zn4dYR3EmN4ZB_XMyuV1X1lriXz0bhcDKiJqYL2cZtiFXXvLte2qnufa0TEoex2ZdPHVCufZA-IiHIdlgkClCiit9wWTxa59MpjnpmT2zNat1L0HMxu_cfSxx6DuOSBWm37f/s400/DSC00014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194733080037626290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I don't know where to begin! As you can see from my last post I was watching some G4 special event coverage last night when I was whisked away by G-friends parents to red robin for dinner. Then I took aforementioned G-friend to Yogurt Oasis which is our new dessert destination. 9:15 I roll up to gamestop and BAM! No line. The employees are setting up BBQ. Soon enough a line starts materializing</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (behind me) I met some really nice people, friend paul showed up. We just stood around being cold, eating burgers and having a generally good time waiting ecstatically for what IGN called the best game since Ocarina of time. We traded gaming stories, talked about the good and the bad and what we were looking forward to, it was fun, I just love gathering with like minded people, especially when they're strangers turned friends. The low point of the evening was creepy Red Bull </span><span style="font-family:arial;">girls coming and flirting gratuitously while giving out free Red Bull. It's just really uncomfortable that they hire girls to use themselves to sell a product. They were asking these leading questions that were meant to make us perform for them. One guy had another brand of energy drink and they asked him "What can I do to make you pour that out and drink Red Bull." That just grossed me out. Paul summed it up best "How much does Red Bull pay you hourly to act like you're our friends." Anyway that was just gross and they left and it was great. I took some pictures. The line was like 50 people at least. Traded PSN IDs and </span><span style="font-family:arial;">then suddenly they let </span><span style="font-family:arial;">6 of us in, and I got my special edition.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLqLvYZ8nYzHj8i8SwLh_WfWRCnW9-IRv2AZVAF_btBxWxq4dl5GfQqDh9q4F-PprGHrbSBC4c9GND5oLLuGHwpU-0acf3loFZvlMOAFu0Fe-5EeRUPghV5B0Rnqv-hJwtTh-mocP3WFC/s1600-h/DSC00016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLqLvYZ8nYzHj8i8SwLh_WfWRCnW9-IRv2AZVAF_btBxWxq4dl5GfQqDh9q4F-PprGHrbSBC4c9GND5oLLuGHwpU-0acf3loFZvlMOAFu0Fe-5EeRUPghV5B0Rnqv-hJwtTh-mocP3WFC/s400/DSC00016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194734243973763522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSc-9TDrCb0VvMNlrnxetJ3xvKxAZCVipuMi2XgviMWdJIhkEjFhCTy9CHzfAU-yYownuhVaSd1tu0FuEggs6sf9xxiPjCI9eleUKzt0saMXqVhvgJ_0785KCwN67nNfXD8hxFiK7oNn21/s1600-h/DSC00017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSc-9TDrCb0VvMNlrnxetJ3xvKxAZCVipuMi2XgviMWdJIhkEjFhCTy9CHzfAU-yYownuhVaSd1tu0FuEggs6sf9xxiPjCI9eleUKzt0saMXqVhvgJ_0785KCwN67nNfXD8hxFiK7oNn21/s400/DSC00017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194734750779904466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">The gun is neither part of the special edition nor real.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6478647855016422156.post-40628616839194652082008-04-29T08:42:00.000-07:002008-04-29T08:46:19.274-07:00Letter to G4I rarely watch AOTS though I do love X-play ( I don't have cable so i check it out online or at my friends house). Yesterday I tuned in just for the special GTAIV coverage. I was put off by the gadget pr0n when Kevin (I think thats his name) was showing off the camera by focusing the camera on Olivia's chest. Especially after the ridiculous <a href="http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/83256/">Open Source boob groping crap</a> at ConFusion, I think it's become clear (whether it's true or not) that gamers, technophiles, nerds, etc. are grossly out of touch socially. I feel like the aforementioned segment of your show only reinforces that (both the public conception of gamers and the actual awkward mindset thereof ).<br />I want to convey that I am a gamer, I'm a PS3 fanboy and was the first one to pick up GTAIV at my local gamestop last night. I am aware of the inherent sexism in the some of the games that I play, but I feel that the example on your show is a little more potent in a couple ways.<br />GTAIV is obviously set in a fictitious world, it should be judged along the same lines as other fictitious media like movies, books, and music. AOTS is a show with real people talking about real things so people will probably take it as somewhat of a representation of the real world. I also feel that Olivia and Kevin are portrayed as equals: co-hosts (Like Adam and Morgan) so when one blatantly objectifies the other, it creeps me out and makes me feel guilty as part of the target audience. I feel strange bringing gender politics into a show about games and technology, but I want to have pride in being a gamer, games are such a huge part of my life right now and it's hard when I see evidence that being a gamer means taking part in a culture that doesn't necessarily actively objectify women but may not know better because of the way women are presented to them.<br />I would like games to be viewed as an art form just as TV, Film, and music. I feel like GTAIV is a step in that direction, but I feel that the negative view of the video game audience is stifling.<br /><br /><br />KenKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08688474291617770711noreply@blogger.com0